The Faculty of Education at the University of Trnava has been enlisted to develop a new programme aimed at raising awareness of gambling risks and harms among the public, institutions and authorities of the Republic of Slovakia.
The project has been launched through a ‘memorandum of cooperation’ agreed by the university and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Slovakia (URHH), with the aim of bringing “professional knowledge and academic training” into Slovakia’s education and government systems to minimise exposure to gambling harms.
The new initiatives will provide the faculty with access to national gambling data, enabling it to develop an educational framework for both lecturers and students.
The programme will examine key areas including gambling regulation, addiction prevention, the risks posed by digital environments and the emergence of new online gambling formats.
Academic fix
Upon completion, the University of Trnava will publish professional consultations and academic outputs, including final theses, participation in scientific conferences and the joint creation of methodological materials designed to support schools and educational institutions.
Libuša Baranová, Director General of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Slovakia, backed the cooperation, stating: “The topic of gambling, online gaming and digital addictions is increasingly affecting the young generation, which requires a sophisticated and professional approach.”
She added that combining regulatory expertise with academic research would strengthen prevention efforts: “I believe that by combining our expertise with the academic tradition of the Faculty of Education of the University of Trnava, we will create a strong mechanism to protect the most vulnerable and contribute to the formation of future educators as pillars of prevention in our society.”
As of January 2026, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Slovakia formally assumed the role of primary supervisory authority for consumer protection in the gambling sector. At the time, Baranová emphasised that further academic guidance was needed to clear regulatory liabilities.
The project reflects a broader strategy by the regulator to strengthen gambling protections and oversight as Slovakia’s gambling market continues to shift towards the online space.
Market data published by URHH illustrates the structural transformation of the sector. The authority’s 2025 market report shows that online gambling has now surpassed land-based venues as the dominant segment of the Slovak market, highlighting a significant behavioural shift among players.
Deep divisions in “structural shift”
According to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Slovakia (URHH), in 2025 player losses in land-based gambling halls and casinos amounted to €469.3 million ($544.4 million) — €99.3 million ($115.3 million) less than losses on online gambling platforms, which reached approximately €570 million ($662.2 million).
The land-based segment also experienced a decline, with total revenues falling to €286.6 million ($332.5 million), representing a 15.6% decrease compared to the previous year. These figures indicate that consumer activity is increasingly shifting toward digital formats, primarily driven by the growth of online casinos.
This development has raised political concerns about how Slovakia is managing what policymakers describe as a generational shift in gambling behavior. Debates in the National Council of the Slovak Republic have called for reforms to the 2019 Gambling Act.
So far, only one reform package has been presented. Slovakia’s Minister of Sports and Tourism, Rudolf Huliak, urged government members to support a review of gambling licenses and stricter regulatory rules.
Opponents argued that the proposals could favor the state-owned lottery operator TIPOS. Huliak rejected these claims, stating that his measures would increase TIPOS’ tax contributions by more than €100 million ($116 million).
Despite parliamentary consideration, the proposals were effectively blocked in December after Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini declined to sign the amendments, citing concerns that they could affect competitive safeguards within the gambling market.
Pellegrini noted that the issue remains open and that the government will review broader proposals to improve gambling governance in 2026, although no political party has yet presented a comprehensive reform package.
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